Growing up in Australia and learning to crochet when I was seven means until recently I only used English/ Australian crochet terms. I wasn’t even aware there were other terms out there. In 1997 when I first started to use the internet for seeking patterns I started to realise something was awry! What was this strange SC single crochet stitch I kept coming across?
It took me a while to figure out that the US use different terms to the UK and Australia.
Many of my older customers are now starting to source their patterns from the net and frequently come into the shop confused by the patterns they have downloaded.
The internet has certainly made a huge difference to the patterns and techniques we have access to. And to take advantage of these we need to know the differences between UK and US terms and how to translate them. Both UK and US use the same stitch names, for different stitches! Which can be very confusing.
US have the term ‘single crochet’ (sc) while the UK name for the same stitch is ‘double crochet’ (dc) The US ‘double crochet’ (dc) is called ‘treble’ (tr) in the UK.
Confusing? You bet!
The US terms reference the number of yarn overs when pulling up your first loop, while the UK terms are based on the number of loops on your hook.
There are two stitch names that are the same in both US and UK, the chain (ch) and slip stitch (ss).
- Chain (ch) UK and US
- Slip stitch (ss) UK and US
- Single crochet (sc) US – double crochet (dc) UK
- Half double crochet (hdc) US – Half treble (htr) UK
- Double crochet (dc) US – Treble (tr) UK
- Treble/triple crochet (tr) US – Double treble (dtr) UK
- Double treble (dtr) US – Triple treble (trtr) UK
If the pattern doesn’t state the terms used, there is a way to determine if it is UK or US.
If single crochet (sc), or half double crochet (hdc) is in the pattern it is using US terms (as these terms do not exist in UK terminology).
Many pattern designers publish their patterns in both US and UK, making it easier for crocheters to work in their preferred terms.
As more crocheters seek patterns from the internet, the need to work in both terms is essential.
